Kukla's Korner Hockey

If the season started today, nobody would feel the loss of departed free agents Matt Carkner and Zenon Konopka more than Neil, the Senators’ 33-year-old right winger who will be paid $5.75 million after the expiration of his current deal next season to not just produce, but also protect his teammates until 2016.

Neil, the franchise’s all-time penalty minutes leader, had plenty of assistance in the enforcer role before Carkner and Konopka were allowed to bolt….

“There’s pressure (on Neil), no question,” said Murray. “We hope to help him. Now, we have to address that vacancy somehow, and we’ll try to do that.”

However, Murray doesn’t see anything on the list of remaining unrestricted free agents that tickles his fancy. So he’s turning to Plan B.

“I think that at some point here in the near future, I have to address it in another form, whether it be by trade or whatever,” said Murray. “But it’s probably a trade.”